Cross Country Skiing
The oldest winter sport saw some fresh triumphs at Soldier Hollow during the Salt Lake 2002 Games, including Beckie Scott, who won Canada’s first-ever cross country medal in the women’s 5km + 5km pursuit, and Andrus Veerpalu, who did the same for Estonia in the men’s 15km classical. Though the “Tiny Tornado,” Stefania Belmondo of Italy suffered a broken pole in the women’s 15km freestyle, a French coach handed her a replacement, and while it was too long, she eventually got the right size — and the gold. “At the moment when I broke my pole, I cried from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “It am very, very happy. It’s incredible.”
International Ski Federation http://www.fis-ski.com/